1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a data recording/reproducing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data recording/reproducing apparatus accommodating a data recording/reproducing unit in a box-shaped housing
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, data recording/reproducing apparatuses such as DVD players, VCRs, digital audio discs, and video discs accommodate a data recording/reproducing unit in a housing. Depending on which kind of recording medium is used, the data recording/reproducing units can be categorized into magnetic recording/reproducing units and (optical) disc recording/reproducing units. A recent trend shows that a ‘combo system’ adopting both the magnetic recording/reproducing unit (i.e., a VCR deck) and the optical disc reproducing unit (i.e., a DVD deck) is being widely used.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a data recording/reproducing apparatus adopting a VCR deck 20 in a housing 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 includes a base frame 11 with side walls, a rear frame 12, a cover frame (not shown) and a front panel (not shown). The frames except for the front panel are usually made of metallic materials. On the other hand, the front panel is a plastic mold product and has a certain design to increase the functional (such as the installation of operation buttons) and aesthetic value.
Meanwhile, the VCR deck 20 and a circuit board 30 are installed side by side in the housing 10. The VCR deck 20 is locked on the base frame 11 and connected to the front panel.
As such, the front panel is disposed between the base frame 11 and the cover frame (not shown), and is also locked onto the VCR deck 20. However, the VCR deck 20 is installed more closely to the edge. Hence, only part of the front panel is connected to the VCR deck. The rest of the front panel is not supported by the VCR deck 20 and is therefore structurally weak and vulnerable. Therefore, if a user keeps pulling at or grasping the front panel, the part of the front panel that is not supported by the VCR deck 20 becomes elastically deformed. Then the front panel is no longer adhered to the base frame 11 or the cover frame and a space is created therebetween, which is not aesthetically pleasing. Overall, the reliability of the front panel and the data recording/reproducing apparatus accommodating the same becomes deteriorated